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How to Cook Partnerships in Our Kitchen

If you follow us on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook – then you know that we LOVE our kitchen in our new house! In fact – it’s our number one spot for business meetings these days. This year we’re focusing on creating new partnerships and working on bigger and bigger projects. Because you may not have ever noticed – we never actually attach ‘Photography’ in our company name.

It’s literally always just ‘LeahAndMark.com’ and we’ve done for a reason. Because we do more than photography – so much more. Sure, photography has always been our main ‘vehicle’ that has allowed us to do good works – but we’ve grown to the point where we can actually get more done than simply taking photos. We have a team of dedicated creative people, we have ridiculous amounts of gear that we use in the most creative and incorrect ways, but also… we have a brand and a voice. Without overstepping or too much hyperbole – we literally have one of the most visited photography websites in Atlanta. Of course we’ve worked incredibly hard to literally be… everywhere.

And partnerships have always been a part of our strategy. Right from the start. Good partnerships – and honestly – we’ve never really partnered with other photographers except for the ones that come to us through our Internship. The partners that we like to work with are crazy. Well – they like crazy. Because we like to think big. Or aim big. Or something like that.

So we’ve been inviting various people to our kitchen for a cup of coffee (a Living Walls muralist, a string trio, nonprofit executive directors, and more). Because these are people we’d like to work with – and why wouldn’t we invite them into our home for a cup of coffee?

It’s been a crazy ride and all of sudden we’re in the middle of our 4th year of business – and we’ve found ourselves in a position to do even more.

Of course part of that is because we hired a Creative Director (Joy) to help us out – but then also because we’re just… ready.

Our company has always worked with more charitable organizations annually than any other photography company, and we still operate the largest photography internship in the country. There is a lot of good work that we’re doing and still even crazier projects in the works for this year.

It’s not that we’re trying to give back or make up for the good fortune that we’ve had (because dammit – we’ve worked HARD for everything we’ve earned) – but because it’s what we’ve done from the very beginning. It’s part of the reason that we exist. We’re not giving back or being charitable.

It’s what we do – and we’re going to do so much more with all of the partnerships we’re cooking up in our kitchen (and everywhere).

And if you haven’t come over for a cup of coffee – you should. Seriously.

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I was a wedding photographer for the last 10 years â€“ until recently when I was diagnosed with the ridiculously rare autoimmune disease dermatomyositis (der mat Oh my Oh sy tis). It kind of really ravaged my body and I lost 85 lbs of muscle and tissue along with spreading to my lungs adding some interstitial lung disease action. SO now after photographing 30+ weddings a year for the last decade â€“ no more of that. And more of everything else.